1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus for displaying data for a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to a network; and to a network system, an information processing method and an information processing program therefor.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, network utility software is well known and available for the control and the monitoring of computers comprising a network. One type of such software enables one of the computers connected to a network (a server) to control and to manage the operation of all other computers (clients) attached to the network, and can obtain information concerning their components, their operating states, their setups, their job states and their employment levels.
Another network utility software provides means by which one of the image forming apparatuses on a network can be selected to perform printing, and by which information concerning the specified image forming apparatus, that is, equipment information, the state of the apparatus, the network set-up, the state of a job and the employment status of the apparatus, can be obtained.
Other network utility software is available with which a single parameter can provide for the simultaneous display of the same screen on a plurality of image forming apparatuses. However, no network utility software is available that has a user-friendly GUI (a graphics screen) whereby a part or all of the above information can be displayed so that it is immediately available to a user.
Furthermore, no utility software is available with which a plurality of image forming apparatuses can be ordered, rearranged, or searched for in accordance with parameters that are inherent to the apparatuses, or with parameters that represent the capabilities of the apparatuses.